''Lythrum portula'' is a species of flowering plant in the
loosestrife family known by the common names water-purslane
and spatulaleaf loosestrife.
It is native to Europe, and it is found in parts of western North America as an
introduced species
An introduced species, alien species, exotic species, adventive species, immigrant species, foreign species, non-indigenous species, or non-native species is a species living outside its native distributional range, but which has arrived there ...
. It often grows in moist habitat, such as
marsh
A marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous rather than woody plant species.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p Marshes can often be found at ...
es. This is a prostrate annual herb producing a hairless, reddish stem up to 25 centimeters long which lies along the ground and roots where its nodes come in contact with wet earth. The slightly fleshy, spoon-shaped leaves are about a centimeter long and greenish to reddish in color. Solitary flowers occur in leaf axils. Flowers often have white or pink petals about a millimeter long, but some lack petals. The fruit is a spherical capsule containing minute seeds.
References
External links
Jepson Manual Treatment
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1035400
portula
Portula is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Biella in the Italian region Piedmont, located about northeast of Turin and about northeast of Biella. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 1,505 and an area of .All demographics ...
Plants described in 1753
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus